Singapore

Pearl smuggler Matt Gordon falls for Linda Grahame and proposes. She accepts, and they plan to marry just before World War II begins. Their happiness is interrupted by the looming conflict, setting the stage for a separation when war breaks out. The couple's plans are tragically disrupted by the coming upheaval.

Japan attacks Singapore as war erupts. The church where Linda waits to marry Gordon is bombed, causing chaos and destruction. Gordon searches frantically through the wreckage for Linda but cannot find her. He is forced to sail away on his schooner as the city falls into wartime turmoil.

With Linda presumed lost and the war intensifying, Gordon sails out on his schooner. He leaves Singapore and heads into the perilous seas of a world at war. The departure marks a long separation that will stretch across the years.

Five years after the war ends, Gordon returns to a wary reception. Deputy Commissioner Hewitt suspects a hidden cache of pearls and ponders Gordon’s possible involvement. Old criminal associates, including Mauribus and Sascha, circle the case, eager to cash in on the supposed pearls.

Mauribus and his underling Sascha reappear, pressing Gordon to reveal the pearls. Gordon denies having any pearls and tries to avoid confrontation with the dangerous duo. The confrontation underscores the lingering grip of his past crimes.

Gordon spots Linda again, but she does not remember him or anything from before the hospital wake-up. She is now known as Ann and begins to piece together a life that excludes her former identity. The memory barrier leaves Gordon without the closure he seeks.

Ann visits Ming Ling, Linda's pre-war servant, who can recognize her. Despite the recognition, Ann's memories remain blocked, and Gordon continues to search for a way to rekindle their shared history. The mystery of her past deepens as clues appear but memories stay elusive.

Gordon retrieves the pearls from his old hotel room and hides them in the luggage of the current occupants, American tourists Mr. and Mrs. Bellows. Hewitt questions and searches him after seeing him exit the room but finds nothing. He then informs Gordon that Ann Van Leyden is missing.

Gordon deceives Mauribus and Sascha into believing that Linda betrayed him and has the pearls. They take him, at gunpoint, to Linda’s location. He pulls out a gun taped to his ankle and dispatches the two crooks, but Ann is knocked unconscious in the ensuing chaos.

The blow from the confrontation restores Ann's memories. She is willing to resume her life with Michael Van Leyden, but he confesses he knew all along about her past. With her happiness in mind, he drives her to the airport to begin a new chapter.

At the airport, Gordon’s luggage—and the Bellows’ bags—are thoroughly searched. Hewitt learns the pearls' exact location and, giving up, Gordon is allowed to board the aircraft. The plane takes off just before Linda arrives on the scene.

Linda spots the aircraft taking off and Hewitt orders it to return. Ann rushes onto the tarmac to meet it, leaving the audience with a glimmer of a possible reunion and the unresolved tension between memory, love, and loyalty.